Wine Princess Solid Contender in Locust Grove
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Regally-bred Wine Princess will seek her first stakes victory at Churchill Downs when she heads a veteran field of 10 that includes Magic Hour and Flashy American in the 30th running of the Locust Grove for older fillies and mares.
Becky Winemiller’s Wine Princess will be one the favorites in the 30th
running of the Locust Grove because of her flashy pedigree and an
impressive record on the track.
The result of a rare mating of “Horse of the Year” honorees, the
daughter of Ghostzapper (2004 Horse of the Year) out of Azeri (2002) has
a record of 4-3-0 in nine races, with a victory in the 2012 Monmouth
Oaks (GIII) being her signature victory during a young
career in which she has earned $259,140.
Wine Princess, who
has raced only three times in 2013, launched her 4-year-old season with
a seven-length victory at Churchill Downs on April 27. She followed
that with a fifth-place finish behind Funny
Proposition and two-time champion Royal Delta in the Fleur De
Lis Handicap Presented by Etihad Airways (GII), her only loss in four
races at Churchill Downs, and a runner-up effort behind Joyful Victory in Monmouth Park’s Molly Pitcher (GII)
on July 28. The Steve Margolis-trained filly will be ridden from post five by Shaun Bridgmohan and will race with blinkers for the first time in her career.
Among a competitive group of nine rivals entered to face Wine Princess in the Locust Grove are Janis Whitham’s homebred Magic Hour, the runner-up to Devious Intent in the Gardenia (GIII) at
Ellis Park in which 2012 Filly & Mare Sprint champion Groupie Doll finished third, and Preston Stable LLC’s Flashy American, winner of the Alada at Saratoga and the Iowa Distaff at Prairie Meadows.
Other accomplished contenders include Twice the Lady, runner-up in Top Flight Handicap (GIII) and third in the Ruffian (GII); Ice Cream Silence, upset winner of Keeneland’s Doubledogdare (GIII),
and Amie’s Dini, who finished eighth to Believe You Can in the 2012 Kentucky Oaks after winning the Martha Washington at Oaklawn Park.
The Locust Grove field (with jockey and morning line odds) from the rail out includes: Bahia Beach (Borel, 30-1), Amie’s Dini (Joseph Rocco Jr., 5-1), Magic Hour (Goncalves, 6-1), Flashy American
(Lanerie, 5-2), Wine Princess (Bridgmohan, 3-1), Ciguaraya (Hernandez, 15-1), Awesome Flower (Alan Garcia, 6-1), Molly Morgan (Jesus Castanon, 15-1), Ice Cream Silence (Napravnik, 10-1) and Twice the Lady (Santana, 12-1).
The Locust Grove
is set as the eighth of 11 races on Saturday’s “Downs After Dark”
program, with post time scheduled for 9:39 p.m.
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